Rick Hasen

Should I just position myself kneeling before the porcelain deity now?

Yale "MFIA Clinic Report Provides Roadmap for Attorneys to Challenge Election Disinformation" #ELB Important report released by Yale Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic: Students from Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic have released a new white paper titled...

Yale “MFIA Clinic Report Provides Roadmap for Attorneys to Challenge Election Disinformation” electionlawblog.org?p=151348

"New Report Alerts Companies to New Level of Risk from Political Spending" #ELB Bruce Freed and Jeanne Hanna: In today’s climate of heightened polarization, intensifying public scrutiny, and shifting political dynamics, companies that engage in political spending face significant...

“New Report Alerts Companies to New Level of Risk from Political Spending” electionlawblog.org?p=151334

"The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election" #ELB Brennan Center expert brief: In 2020, 2022, and 2024, our nation held federal elections. Despite the pandemic, threats of violence, denial of results, and extraordinary pressure, these were secure and...

“The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election” electionlawblog.org?p=151336

"After 47 years on the political beat for The Post, it’s transition time; Dan Balz writes on his retirement from full-time work at The Washington Post after 47 years." #ELB A true legend pens his last regular column. Fortunately, Dan plans to write more, just on a less set schedule. Wishing him all the best in (semi-)retirement.

“After 47 years on the political beat for The Post, it’s transition time; Dan Balz writes on his retirement from full-time work at The Washington Post after 47 years.” electionlawblog.org?p=151338

"Trump and his allies mount a pressure campaign against US elections ahead of the midterms" #ELB Fredreka Schouten for CNN: A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administr...

“Trump and his allies mount a pressure campaign against US elections ahead of the midterms” electionlawblog.org?p=151340

"The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine; How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering jus... Must-read from Adam Bonica: The digital deluge is a familiar annoyance for anyone on a Democratic fundraising list. It’s a relentless cacophony of bizarre texts and emails, each one more urgent than t...

“The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine; How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.” electionlawblog.org?p=151344

"Texas House Democrats flee the state in bid to block GOP’s proposed congressional map" #ELB Texas Tribune: Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday in a bid to block passage of a new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House next year, raising...

“Texas House Democrats flee the state in bid to block GOP’s proposed congressional map” electionlawblog.org?p=151346

I've got a big piece on this cryptic order coming to @slate.com Monday morning. Stay tuned. And thanks to @jeremystahl.bsky.social for the excellent weekend edit!

Must read

JUST IN: Senate confirms Jeanine Pirro as US Atty for DC, 50-45

The Supreme Court knocked down one of the two pillars of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 in the Shelby County case. It has now gone out of its way to consider whether it should knock down the other, by rescheduling arguments in a case it could have resolved in June under existing precedent.

"Top Biden Aide Had $4 Million Incentive to Secure a 2024 Win" #ELB NYT: Mike Donilon, the longtime strategist and confidant for former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., told congressional investigators Thursday that he would have received a $4 million bonus had Mr. Bide...

“Top Biden Aide Had $4 Million Incentive to Secure a 2024 Win” electionlawblog.org?p=151314

"The Great Political Money Gap; When it comes to attracting mega-donors, Republicans are crushing Democrats." #ELB NYT: There are many signs that the Democratic and Republican Parties are in different places. Here’s one: The main Republican presidential super PAC controls almost $200 million. The main Democratic p...

“The Great Political Money Gap; When it comes to attracting mega-donors, Republicans are crushing Democrats.” electionlawblog.org?p=151316

"Donor List Suggests Scale of Trump’s Pay-for-Access Operation" #ELB NYT: When the cryptocurrency entrepreneur Eric Schiermeyer heard that President Trump was holding small group dinners with major donors, he saw opportunity. Mr. Schiermeyer reached out to a lobbyist w...

“Donor List Suggests Scale of Trump’s Pay-for-Access Operation” electionlawblog.org?p=151318

"Texas House panel advances redrawn congressional map that would add more GOP seats" #ELB Texas Tribune: A Texas House panel on Saturday advanced a draft congressional map aimed at adding five new Republican districts next year over protests from Democrats that the proposal would suppress ...

“Texas House panel advances redrawn congressional map that would add more GOP seats” electionlawblog.org?p=151320

"How the New Texas Map Changes the Outlook for Control of the House" #ELB Nate Cohn for The Tilt: So far this election cycle, most analysts have assumed that Democrats will win the House next November. No, it’s not a guarantee. But the party out of the White House usually d...

“How the New Texas Map Changes the Outlook for Control of the House” electionlawblog.org?p=151322

"Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration" #ELB Influence Brief: A Jan. 15 in-kind contribution from X Corp., the social media company previously known as Twitter and owned by Musk, never appeared in any of the Trump inaugural committee’s original ...

“Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration” electionlawblog.org?p=151324

"Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting" #ELB Politico: A  group of Democratic governors is urging its colleagues to get tough in countering Republican-backed efforts to gerrymander Texas’ congressional districts. “It’s incumbent upon Democrat go...

“Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting” electionlawblog.org?p=151326

"Former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces investigation by Office of Special Counsel" #ELB WaPo: The U.S. Office of special counsel said Saturday it is investigating Jack Smith, the former Justice Department official who oversaw two federal prosecutions of Donald Trump, for potentially viol...

“Former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces investigation by Office of Special Counsel” electionlawblog.org?p=151330

the voting rights act is, in its entirety, obviously constitutional under the 15th amendment, which gives congress broad and proactive authority to stop racial discrimination in voting. and you know it is obviously constitutional because roberts has had to invent entire new doctrines to gut it.

So weird, a dozen years ago John Roberts told us we still had Section 2 when he invalidated Section 5…

The Texas House redistricting committee has advanced Republicans new congressional map 12-6 along party lines. #txlege

Breaking: Supreme Court, in Order Asking for Additional Briefing in Louisiana Voting Case, Appears to Put the Constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act into Question #ELB The Supreme Court just issued this order: Louisiana had to create that second majority-minority district in order to comply with the Voting Rights Act, as it had been found to face Section 2 VRA liabi...

****Breaking:**** Supreme Court, in Order Asking for Additional Briefing in Louisiana Voting Case, Appears to Put the Constitutionality of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act into Question electionlawblog.org?p=151301

It doesn't get much more John Roberts than the trajectory from "don't worry about us ruling preclearance unconstitutional when Section 2 remains in force" to "whoops, come to think of it Section 2 is also unconstitutional"

This is reminiscent of how Citizens United unfolded

I am so livid, and I cannot imagine what it’s like to be you in this moment. (Well, my work is in the crosshairs in other ways, but the voting rights stuff is obviously foundational to all of this.)

good question

The Supreme Court knocked down one of the two pillars of the Voting Rights Act in 2013 in the Shelby County case. It has now gone out of its way to consider whether it should knock down the other, by rescheduling arguments in a case it could have resolved in June under existing precedent.

Supreme Court raises the stakes in a Louisiana redistricting case The court ordered new briefing, suggesting it could be poised to further weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act.

More:

www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...